Single lever faucet and valving plate therefor



June 22, 1965 R. A. STAAT ETAL SINGLE LEVER FAUCET AND VALVI NG PLATE THEREFOR Filed Aug. 14, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS ROEERT A. 57447' BYAARO/V 4. $7447 ATTORN June 22, 1965 R. A. STAAT ETAL 3,190,309

SINGLE LEVER FAUCET AND VALVING PLATE THEREFOR Filed Aug. 14, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 III/l.

INVENTORS ROBERT A. STA/4T AARO/V A. 57/14 7 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,190,309 SINGLE LEVER FAUCET AND VALVING PLATE THEREFOR Robert A. Staat, Florence, and Aaron A. Staat, South Fort Mitchell, Ky, assiguors to Ital-Cam, inc, Cincinnati,

Ohio, a corporation of Ghio Filed Aug. 14, 1962, Ser. No. 216,335 21 Claims. (Cl. 137-4545) This invention relates to faucets, and in particular to unique valving means for a faucet of the single lever type.

Single lever type faucets are well known in the art, such as, by way of example, is disclosed in US, Patents Nos. 1,573,210; 2,205,684; 2,578,543; 2,624,586; 2,756,775; 2,866,478; 2,871,880 and 2,980,141; however, considerable difficulty and expense is entailed in servicing single lever faucets. As a general rule, servicing of all types of prior art single lever faucets of which we are aware has required the use of a trained technician or plumber to make even minor repairs such as, by way of example, the replacing of valve washers, and the like.

One of the prime objects of the present invention is to provide a valving plate having valving means operatively associated therewith in such a manner that the valving plate and associated valving means constitute a merchandisable item, per so, which may be readily removed from and/ or associated with the interior of a faucet assembly without requiring the use of special tools and by persons having no skill or training in the plumbing art. In other words, the valving means of the subject faucet has been constructed in such a manner as to enable it to be replaced by the average housewife without the use of special tools or technical skill.

Another object of the invention is to provide a single lever faucet utilizing our unique valving plate for enabling a user to selectively control the mixing of two fluids in any proportion and of permitting one or the other of said fluids to be independently dispensed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a single lever faucet having a unique valving plate which is constructed in such a manner as to enable a housewife to remove, inspect and/or replace same without requiring the use of special tools or other equipment, other than conventional means such as, by way of example, a pair of pliers for loosening the escutcheon ring to effect separation of the upper portion of the faucet housing to be readily removed from the body or lower portion thereof for providing free and unrestricted access to the valving plate which, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, includes an upstanding stem or handle which may be readily grasped for effecting the bodily removal of the plate from the lower portion of the valve body. A duplicate valving plate may be then inserted, after which the upper portion of the faucet assembly may be reassociated with and secured to the body thereof by means of the escutcheon ring.

A further object of the invention is to provide a single lever valve having the hereinabove characteristics, which is characterized by long, trouble-free wear and wherein the various operating parts are maintained in alignment for simply though effectively precluding malfunction.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a single lever valve with simple yet highly effective means for maintaining the operating handle or lever thereof in whatever position it is placed by the user of the device for maintaining the handle in that position against accidental or unintentional movement. Heretofore considerable annoyance has been encountered in single lever type faucets in those instances wherein the packing surrounding the stem actuator becomes worn, with the result that the bandle would, unless held by an operator, gravitate or otherwise move from a pre-set on position to an off position by reason of the water pressure within the faucet. The structural details of the subject valve are such as to completely eliminate this undesirable feature.

These and other objects are attained by the means described herein and as disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a single lever valve embodying the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, showing the three main parts of the valve in disassociated relationship for facilitating replacement of the valving plate.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a valving plate embodying the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a view taken on line 55 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 66 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 77 of FIG. 5.

FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 are views, partly in section, illustrating the relationship of the camming means with respect to the cam followers of the valve elements of the valving plate.

With particular reference to the drawings, the numeral 28 denotes the discharge spout of a single lever faucet denoted generally by the numeral 22, which comprises an upper portion A, and a body portion B.

With particular reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, it will be noted that upper portion A comprises a first housing, or water outlet member 151 having a chamber Z therein with an outlet port or ports 25. That end of remote from the outlet ports 25 terminates in an axial, lower face 27. The upper portion A also includes an actuating lever 30, the free outer end of which terminates in a knob 32 which may be grasped by an operator for elevating the lever from the fully lowered position illustrated in FIG. 1 for effecting a flow of fluid from chamber Z through spout 20 incident to actuation of valving elements, as will hereinafter be more fully explained.

Lever 30 may be swung or moved radially to the right or the left for determining the various proportions at which two fluids, controlled by the valve, will be dispensed through spout 21), said lever being movable to one position for dispensing but one of the liquids, to an intermediate position for dispensing each of two liquids in varying proportions, or to a further and remote position for dispensing only the second liquid.

The valve body or second housing includes a central chamber 38 and a pair of conduits 44 and 46 in communication with opposite sides thereof, as clearly illustrated in each of FIGS. 1, 2 and 5. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, each of conduits 44 and 46 is pro vided with and terminates in downwardly extending, externally threaded portions 40 and 42, which are adapted to be connected to independent sources of fluid media under pressure such as, by way of example, to the hot and cold water lines, respectively, of a household water system.

With particular reference now to FIG. 5, it will be noted that the lower portion of chamber 38 is internally subdivided by means of a central partition 48 for thereby defining two independent, separate chambers, P and Q, wherein chamber P is in open communication with conduit 44 and chamber Q is in open communication with conduit 46.

An annular shoulder St) is provided interiorly of the second housing B at and in the plane of the upper ends of chambers P and Q for defining a peripheral ledge or seat which is engaged by and upon which the lower peripheral edge of the valving plate assembly, denoted generally by the letter D of FIG. 3 is received.

With particular reference now to FIG. 3, it ;will be noted that the valving plate assembly comprises a substantially circular plate 60 having upper and lower axial faces 62 and 66, respectively, note FIG. 9. The numeral 64 denotes generally a sheet, coating or layer of gasket or sealing material such as, by .way of example, but not of restriction, rubber, Teflonor other suitable material appropriately bonded to the lower'axial face 66 of plate 60 by suitable means which form no part of the present invention.

' Lower face 27 of the first housing 150 is adapted to engage portions of the upper surface of the valving plate for securely though releasably disposing said plate in fluid tight relationship with the upper ends of chambers P and Q of the second housing.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, valving plate 6-3 is adapted to be received upon annular shoulder 50, for thereby locating and positioning said plate between chamber Z of the first housing and each of chambers P and Q' of the second housing.

Plate 60 is provided with a pair of ports or apertures 70 and 72, wherein one of said apertures is in open communication with one of chambers P and Q, both of said iapertures being in open communication with chamber Z. a

As best illustrated in FIG. 3, valving means are associated with each of ports '7 and '72 of plate 6t}, said valv-. ing means comprising a valve element 90' having a substantially flat, axial top surface 92, a pair of substan tially spherical cam followers 86 and 82, each of which is fixedly secured to its respective valving element 90. by means of rigid members 91 and 93, respectively.

As best illustrated in FlGS. 3, 8 10, port openings 74 and 76 are also provided through the resilient or sealing member 64; and in the preferred embodiment of the invention these openings are somewhat smaller than the diameter of spherical cam followers 80 and 82, whereby to normally and resiliently maintain said spherical cam followers in supported position as illustrated in FIG. 3,

and to preclude the accidental or unintentional dissassociation of the valving means from the valve plate.

Each of the valve elements 96 is of such a dimension as to substantially span and loosely engage the side walls of at least the upper portions of their respective chambers P and Q. Annular ledges 45 may be provided in teriorly of and intermediate of the height of each of chambers Pand Q for defining a ledge engagable by peripheral portions of valve elements 9% for thereby lim iting to a location above the respective inlet ports of said chambersthe lowermost position'which said valve elements could assume in the event that there should be a failure of water pressure in lines 44 and 46.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the peripheral contour of valve elements 90 is discontinuous as illustrated in FIG. 3, viZ., provided with spaced,notched portions I which define a plurality of outwardly project ing portions Kfor augmenting the volume and rate of flow of water. past said valve elements when in open position. It should, of courseybe understood that the dimensions of notches J are such that the upper axial face V V 4' each of chambers P andQ is against the under-surface of each'of valving elements 90in such. a manner as to efiect a seal which will positively preclude the passage 'of water upwardly from chambers P and Q into the upper portions of the central chamber in which the spherical carn followers 80 and 82 are disposed.

. The upper :or'first housing A is provided with a valve stem 100 which is suitably mounted, by means not pertinent to the present invention, for axial movement in a vertical direction, and for rotational movement being efiected by means of lever 30. The numeral 110 denotes generally camming means in the form of an actuator cam which, asbest illustrated in FIGS. 6 through 10, comprises a truncated cone having a flattened surface 112 in parallelism with the axial center of said cam.

Those portions of the camming surface remote from flattened surface 112 are uniformly tapered outwardly from a minimum diameter at the lower end 116 of the cam to a maximum diameter at the upper end 113 thereof. With particular reference now to FIGS. 4 and 5, it

, will be noted'that when the actuating lever is in the lowered position illustrated in FIG. 1, the various surfaces of the actuator cam will. be disposed above and out of, contacting relationship with each of the spherical cam'followers 80 and 82. However, when lever'30 is elevated upwardly,- stem 100 will be advanced downwardly for thereby introducing the cammingsurfaces of actuator'cam 110 downwardly :and' into contacting relationship with adjacent portions of the spherical cam follow:

ers 8t) :and 8 2. With particular reference now to FIG. 8, we have illustrated the condition which exists when the lever'30 is elevated to the neutral position from the position of FIG. 1; wherein the term ,neutral position refers to thatposition in which the actuator cam is disposed when its camming surfaces will engage both of the spherical cam followers equally.v Under such circumstances, as illustrated in FIG. '8, 'each of the spherical cam followers 80 and 82 will be literally forced apart for thereby imparting an equal tilting act-ion to the valving plates 90 by means of their respective rigid connector elements 91 and 93 which interconnect each of plates 90 with'a spherical cam follower, as illustrated. It will be noted that as the valving plates are tilted, fluid from each of chambers P and Q will pass upwardly as indicated by the headed arrows R and S between theadjacent faces of the valving plates and sealing member 64, thence upwardly as indicated by the headed arrows T anclU through the ports 74-70 and 7-67'2 of sealing member 64 and platev 60, respectively. From the foregoing, it will be noted that'when the parts are disposed as illustrated in FIG. 8, a mixture of fluid fromeach of conduits 44 and result that the valving plate to the right is starting to close 92 of each valve element is adapted to engage and seat against the lower face of seating member 64 incident to the application'of water pressure against the under-sur-' face of said elements in chambers and Q for normally and yieldably disposing said members in, their fully raised, seating and sealing position illustrated in FIG. 5. It will be'noted that rigid members 91 and "93 extend through the respective port apertures'70 and'72 of plate and through corresponding port apertures 74 and 76 of resilient sealing member 64, thereby fixedly interconnecting and disposing valve elements and their respectiv' spherical cam followers 80 and182 on opposite sides of plate 60. Y 1

From the foregoing, and as best illustrated inFIG; 5,' it will be noted that the entire pressure of the fluid within and the valving plate to the left will be tilted'to a greater degreefor permitting an increase of flow of fluid upwardly from chamber Q. g y

In FIG. 10 the relationship of the'actuator cam with respect to the spherical cam followers 80 and 82 is such that'surface 112 of the actuator cam is entirely out of engagement with spherical member 80 with the result I that thevalving plate 90 will be disposedin sealing relationship lwith corresponding portions ofthe resilient under-surface of the flat valving plate for thereby preextending axial pin which serves the "dual function of providing readily graspable handle-likemeansv for enabling thevalving plate to be bodily lifted from shoulder Sit; said pin also serving as an elongate rigid axial guide for and upon which actuator cam 119 may bemoved. It Will be noted that in this manner movement of the actuator cam is restricted to axial movement in alignment with stem 1%. Pin 149 also serves as a center about which the actuator cam will be rotated incident to movement of lever 30 in a radial direction relative to stem lllltl.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the conical camming surfaces of cam 11f? are off-center relative to the axial center of valve stem Mid and pin Mil of the valve plate. Uniformly satisfactory results have been obtained in those instances wherein the center of the radius of those portions of the camming surface remote from flat face 112 has been displaced .022 to the right with reference to the axial center of said cam, along line a-a which is normal toface 112.

It will be noted that we have thus provided simple yet highly effective means for utilizing a single lever for controlling the flow of each of two fluids through a common spout and wherein movement of an actuator lever will enable an operator to select one or the other of the two fluids, or any relative proportion of said fluids, and that the rate of discharge of the fluids, whether individual or mixed, is controlled by elevating the same lever about its fulcrum.

With reference now to FIG. 7, it will be noted that the first housing or water outlet member 159 is provided with outwardly projecting tongues 152 which are receivable within pockets 154 located in the upper periphery of the central chamber 38. The inter-relationship of tangues 152 with pockets 154 will insure that the parts will be assembled in proper relationship. As best illustrated in FIG. 4, a pin 16% is provided in chamber member 33, and a pin-receptive opening is provided in the lower surface of water outlet element 158' for the reception of said pin, which will insure that the parts can be assembled only in a predetermined relationship.

With further reference now to PEG. 5, the numeral 2% denotes a domeshaped lever support having upper and lower surfaces and 2M which abuttingly engage stainless steel rings 2&6 and 2%, respectively. Ring 2 198 is adapted to be received on the upper end of the upper surface 210 of adapter 212, which is externally threaded as at 214 for the reception of top cap 216 having an inturned surface 218 against which the upper axial surface of ring 2% abuts when the parts are fully assembled as in FIGS. 4 and 5. The foregoing construction permits the dome-shaped lever support to be freely rotated about the axis of stem res.

As further illustrated in PEG. 4, lever 39 terminates in a terminal end or head 24) defined by a pair of laterally spaced axial walls which are spanned by a pair of spaced, parallel axial bores 3M and 332 (FIGS. 4 and 5). The terminal end of lever 39 also includes an outwardly projecting fulcrum 25% which is disposed between rings 2% and 2% Within the confines of a slot 27% having parallel, spaced axial faces provided in the dome-shaped lever support 2%. As handle 3!) (FIG. 4) is lifted upwardly in a clockwise direction, fulcrum 2% will be maintained in relative position by rings 2% and 2% with the result that stem ltill, which is pivotally secured to terminal end 243, as at 2'75 by a pin or the like re ceived in bore Elli, will be shifted axially downwardly for advancing actuator cam lltl toward and into engaging relationship with the spherical cam followers 8t and 82.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a pair of wear resistant bearing members in the form of tips 3% (MG. 5) are received within bore 3M. through terminal end 249 of lever 3Q, said tips being yieldingly urged apart by means of a compression spring 3% whereby the outer surfaces of said tips will be maintained, under positive pressure, against the axial faces of slot 21 In this manner we have provided simple yet highly effective means for maintaining lever 38 in adjusted position.

It should be understood that the present invention is neither concerned with nor directed to the structural de tails of the device by which fluid is delivered to bottom cap X for providing fluid to a spray nozzle or the like; nor is the invention directed to the means by which water from chamber 2'. will be diverted to bottom cap X, it being understood that such means is old and well known to the art.

It will be understood that escutcheon ring 400 includes an upper inwardly turned lip 482 which engages the axial face of a rib 40d of the upper housing, said ring also including a depending portion 408 which is internally threaded whereby to engage the upwardly, externally threaded portion 410 of the second or lower housing. It will be noted that the escutcheon ring 400 is the sole means by which the first and second housings are secured relative to one another; and that when ring 400 has been removed as in FIG. 2, an operator Will have free access to the interior of chamber 38 and valve plate 60.

It should be understood that if desired the upper surface of the valve elements 90 may be provided with a suitable sealing means either to engage with the sealin; member 64; or if desired, the undersurface of the valving plate may be devoid of a resilient sealing member provided that a sealing member is provided on the upper surface of the valving plates.

Uniformly satisfactory results have been obtained in those instances wherein the spherical cam followers and 82 have been fabricated from nylon, however, any other material may be used.

What is claimed is:

l. A water faucet comprising: a first housing having a fluid chamber therein and an outlet port; a second housing having a pair of fluid chambers and a separate inlet port for each of said chambers; a valving plate including r a pair of ports each having an individual, independently mounted tiltable valving member associated therewith; means releasably interconnecting said housings for fixedly securing said valving plate between the chamber of said first housing and the chambers of the second housing for disposing the chamber of the first housing in selective, variable fluid receiving relationship with the chambers of the second housing via said valving plate ports and their respective valving means members, and means on said first housing operable for controlling and selectively actuating each of said valving members.

2. A water faucet comprising: a first housing having a fluid chamber therein and an outlet port; a second housing having a pair of fluid chambers and a separate inlet port for each chamber; a valving plate including and carrying plural valving means; valving plate support means in the second housing, means releasably interconnecting said housings for seating said valving plate on said support means with the chamber of the first housing on one side of the valving plate and the chambers of the second housing on the other side thereof, said valving means being arranged to be normally closed by water pressure in the chambers of the second housing, means in the first housing operable for selectively actuating said valving means for discharging water from one or both of the chambers of the second housing into the chamber of the first housing, and means projecting from said first housing for actuating said operable means.

3. A water faucet comprising: a first housing having a fluid chamber therein and an outlet port; a second housing having a pair of fluid chambers and a separate inlet port for each chamber; a valving plate including a pair of ports one for registration with each of the fluid chambers of the second housing, each of said ports having an individual, independently mounted tiltable valving member associated therewith, each of said valving members being individually movable to open and close a port of the valving plate, valving plate support means in the second housing, means releasably interconnecting said housings for seating said valving plate on said support means with the chamber of the first housing on one side thereof and the chambers'of the second unit from the second housing incident to separation of said'housings upon release of said interconnecting means.

4. A valving plate for association with and between t the chambers of a pairof separable housings, said plate having a pair of substantially fiat axial surfaces and a pair of fluicl po rts extending therethrough; valving'rneans associated withsaid portsincluding a pair 'of valve elements each having a substantially flat axial surface, a cam follower, and a rigid member extending through one of said ports interconnecting a valve element and an associated cam follower on opposite-sides of said plate, the flat surfaces of said valve elements adapted to seat against adjacent flat surfaces of said plateto close the ports with the rigid members projecting through the ports for disposing the cam followers spaced from the other surface of said plate, and resilient sealing means interposed between adjacent faces of said plate and valve elements.

'5. A water faucet comprising: a first housing having a fluid chamber therein and an outlet port; a second housing having a pair of fluid chambers and a separate inlet port for each chamber; a valving plate; valving plate support means in the second housing; means releasably interconnecting said housings for seatingandsecuring said valving plate .on said support means with the chamber of the first housing on one side thereof and the chambers of the second housing on the other side thereof, said valving plate 'having'a pair of 'fi'uid' ports therethrough one in open communication with each of the chambers of the second housing, and both in open communicationzwith the chamber, of the first housing, valving means associated with each ofisaid last mentioned ports, said valving means arrangedto be normally and individually closed by water pressurein the chambers of the second housing; single lever means secured to, carried by and projecting from said firsthousing; camming means within the chamber .of the first housing mounted for selective axial and rotational movement in-v cident to movement of said lever, means carried by said valving means positioned for selective engagement by said cannning means to actuate said valvingmeans for discharging water from one or both of the chambers of the second housing into the chamber of the first housing; and an elongate rigid guide member for andin enof the lever support body, means on'the lever support body pivotally supporting the lever fulcrum upon the.

support body with opposite faces of the head contiguous friction elementsslidably mounted inopposite ends of i one of the head bores,-aud yielding means within said one of the head bores for constantly urging the friction elementsoutwarfdly into frictional contact with the said faces, of. the :lever support. slot, ,to-yieldingly oppose rota: tion of, the lever head about the fulcrum thereof.

8, The combination as set forth in claim 7, wherein is included a .valve actuating stem having an end pivoted upon thehead. a pivot pin engaged at its ends in the second head bore remote from the; fulcrum;

9. A single-lever. water mixing faucet comprising in combination, an upper elongatev housing having an axial boreandan upper end, avalve actuating stem, and means withinithe housing b'ore' supporting said stem, for axial and rotational movements, a lever for moving the stem, said lever having a handle end and a buttend, the butt end comprising a substantially flat; head having a pair of spaced parallel sidewalls, 1a fulcrum on the head, a lever support member having a slot therein presenting side walls spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the head and loosely accommodating the head between parallel sideiwallsof the head contiguous to corresponding faces of the lever supportmember slot, means at the upper end of the housing supporting the lever support member for rotation axially of the housing, means pivoting one end of the valve actuating stein upon the lever head, and means yieldingly opposing movement of the leverabout the fulcrum thereof. f

i ll). A single-lever-water mixing faucet'comprising in combination, an upper'elongate housing having an axial bore and an upper end, an elongate valve actuating stem,

1 and means within the housing bore supporting said stem for axial and rotational movements, a lever for moving the stem, saidleverhaving a handle end and a butt end,

gagement' with said camming means secured to, carried by and projecting axially from said valving plateinto the chamber of the first housing, said guidemernber also constituting a handle for and by which'said val'ving plate may be bodily removed from the second'housing upon 7 separation of the first housing therefrom;

6. In a device of the class described, an actuator lever one end of which terminates in'a pair of laterally spaced substantially parallel walls and having a pair of spaced, parallel boresnormal to and spanning said walls, a lever support including a slot having parallel, spaced faces op posing said walls, meanstextendin'g through one of said bores pivotally securingsaid lever end in said slot with the walls of said lever'between and paralleling the said faccsof said slot for swinging in a substantiallyvertical single-leverwater mixing faucet, said lever having a ban-- bores transversely therethrough, a fulcrum on the head remote from thebores, a lever support'member havinga slot therein presenting side walls spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the thickness of thehead and loosely accommodating the head between the walls of the support member, means on said support member pivotally supportingthe lever fulcrum, with the surfaces of said spaced parallel sidewalls of the head contiguous to corresponding surfaces of the lever support memberislot, means at the upper end of the housing supporting the lever support member for rotation axially of the housing, pivot means engaged in oneof the said bores of the head and connecting an end of thevalve stem thereto, opposed friction elements slidably mounted in opposite ends of the other one of the lever head bores, and yielding means within said other one of'the bores for constantly urging the friction oppose rotation of thereof. a

dle end and a butt end, the butt end comprising a substantially flathead having a pair of spaced parallelside having a slot therein presenting side walls spaced apart-a distance slightly greater than the thickness 'of the head, V

and loosely accommodating the head between the-walls,

elements outwardly into frictional contact with the said surfaces of, the lever supportimember slot, toyieldingly the lever head about the fulcrum 11. The device as set forth inclaim 110, wherein the combination includes a pair of inlet valves for delivering hot and coldwater'to the upper housing, and means responsive to axial :and rotational movements of the valve actuatinglstem for varyingfthe rate of flow through said I inlet valves. V

12. A water faucet comprising in combination: a first housing having a fluid chamber therein, an outlet port, and an axial valve stem bore; a stem supported in said bore for axial and rotational movement; a secondhousing havinga pair of fluid chambers separated'for receiving and conveying hot and cold water; means for detachably mountingthe first'housing upon the second housing forseparation of the housings; a valving plate disposed transversely of the housings and having a pair of port openings to coincide with the chambers of the second housing, and a pair of valves carried by the plate for opening and closing the port openings individually; means on the housings for clamping the valving plate therebetween whereby to isolate the chamber of the first housing from the chambers of the second housing upon closing of the valves, the valving plate and the valves carried thereby being accessible and removable as a unit upon separation of the housings at the mounting means aforesaid; means carried by the first housing for selectively rotating and reciprocating the valve stem; and means connected with said stem for actuating the valves both individually and in unison.

13. The combination as set forth in claim 12, wherein the means last mentioned includes a cam on the valve stem, and a cam follower operatively connected with each ..valve located for engagement by said cam upon reciprocation of the valve stem in one direction.

14. A water faucet comprising in combination, a lower housing having a pair of fluid chambers separated for conveying hot and cold water, an annular seat within said housing circumscribing said chambers, a removable circular valving plate having a circumferential margin adapted to rest upon said seat to cover the chambers, said plate having a pair of port openings each communicating with one only of said chambers of the housing, a pair of individual, independently mounted tiltable valve members carried by the plate for opening and closing the port openings individually, an elongate upper housing having a fluid chamber and an axial valve stem bore, a valve actuating stem in said bore, an annular surface on the upper housing, and means for releasably securing the upper housing to the lower housing with said annular surface clamping the valving plate stationarily against the annular seat of the lower housing, the valving plate so clamped serving to isolate the fluid chamber of the upper housing from the fluid chambers of the lower housing when the valve members of the valving plate are closed, said valving plate and the valve members carried thereby being bodily removable as a unit from the annular seat of the lower housing, upon manipulation of the releasable securing means to free the upper housing for displacement from the lower housing.

15. A water faucet comprising in combination, a lower housing having a pair of fluid chambers separated for conveying hot and cold water, an annular seat within said housing circumscribing said chambers, a removable circular valving plate having a circumferential margin adapted to rest upon said seat to cover the chambers, said plate having a pair of port openings each communicating with a chamber of the housing, a pair of valves carried by the plate for opening and closing the port openings individually, an elongate upper housing having a fluid chamber and an axial valve stem bore, a valve stem in the bore, and means on the upper housing for reciprocating and rotating said stern, a cam on the valve stem, and a cam follower carried by each valve and located for engagement by said cam upon reciprocation of the valve stem in one direction, means on the housings for releasably clamping the valving plate upon the annular seat of the lower housing, with said plate isolating the chamber of the upper housing from the chambers of the lower housing when the plate valves are closed, said valving plate and the valves carried thereby being bodily removable as a unit from the annular seat of the lower housing, upon manipulation of the releasable clamping means to free the upper housing for displacement from the lower housing.

16. The device as set forth in claim 15, wherein the valving plate is provided with a central upstanding pin serving as a handle to remove the plate, and the valve stem is made hollow at one end to slidably accommodate said pin as the stem is reciprocated thereon.

-17. A water faucet comprising in combination, a first housing having a fluid chamber therein and an outlet port, a second housing having a pair of separate fluid chambers to be supplied with hot and cold water individually, a valving plate including a pair of ports, each of said ports having an individual, independently mounted tiltable valving member associated therewith, one of said ports and its associated valving member being in communication with each of said separate fluid chambers of the second housing, said plate in the closed condition of its valve members constituting a barrier between the chamber of the first housing and the chambers of the second housing, a separable connecting means between said housings, whereby one housing may be displaced relative to the other for exposing the valving plate for bodily removal along with its valving members as a unit, from the barrier position, and means carried by the first housing, rendered operative incident to connecting the housings, for selectively actuating the valve members independently of one another.

18. The device as set forth in claim 17, wherein the actuating means for the valve members comprises a single movable cam operative directly upon portions of said individually operable valve members, and displaceable therefrom concurrently with displacement of the housings one from the other.

19. A water mixing faucet structure, comprising a lower housing body and an upper portion, said lower housing body having a central chamber formed to re movably receive a lower part of said upper portion, said lower part of the upper portion having an axial lower end face, said lower part of the upper portion having a fluid mixing chamber therein opening through said axial lower end face, said lower housing body having a pair of upwardly opening fluid receiving chambers having open top ends communicating with said central chamber, said open top ends lying in a common plane extending transversely of and below the top of the lower housing body, the lower housing body chamber having an annular wall shoulder lying in said plane, means forming a fluid inlet for each of said fluid receiving chambers, a valving plate having two pOrts therethrough and removably peripherally supported on said wall shoulder and said axial lower face of said upper portion bearing upon and holding said plate on the shoulder with said ports each forming a fluid passage from a fluid receiving chamber to said mixing chamber, a free moving valve element underlying each of said ports and carrying a rigid member extending upwardly through the overlying port, a cam follower upon each rigid member and located in the mixing chamber, an axially reciprocable and rotatable valve stem in said upper portion and extending into the m xing chamber, camming means upon the lower end of sa1d stem for engaging said followers, and lever means operatively connected with said valve stem for effecting rotation and reciprocation of the latter and the camming means for selective engagement and actuation of said valve elements.

20. A water mixing faucet structure according to claim 19, with a pin member carried by said plate and extendmg axially upwardly in the mixing chamber and coupled with and forming a guide for said valve stem, and said pin member also forming a grasping means for facilitatmg lifting and removal of the plate and valve elements as a unit from the central chamber upon removal of said 1laower part of the upper portion from said central cham- 21. A water mixing faucet structure according to claim 19, wherein each of said cam followers consists of a spherical body, and said camming means consists of an inverted conical body movable downwardly between the spherical bodies with a portion of the conical surface thereof cut away to provide a flat face substantially paralleling the stem, the conical surface portion of the body functioning in one operative position of the body to en- O9 7 A Y '11 12 gage both spherical bodies to Open both valves andin 3,023,769 4/62 Williams 137-636.2 XR 7 another position to open?! selected one only of the valves; 3 ,051,246" 8/ 62 Clark 2S1297 XR References Cited by the Examiner 1 8 5 3 d g 137 636'4 XR UNITEDSTATESPATENTS 5 5 FOREIGN PATENTS Re. 25,155 4/62 Leuthesser 137 6361 XR 245,606 3/26 Italy.

1,676,777 7/28 Hansen 137-454.6 290 243', 11 31/ l 2,756,775 7/56 Hyde 137-607 XR 1 2,978,917 7 4/61 WILLIAM F; ODEA, Primary Examiner. 

1. A WATER FAUCET COMPRISING: A FIRST HOUSING HAVING A FLUID CHAMBER THEREIN AND AN OUTLET PORT; A SECOND HOUSING HAVING A PAIR OF FLUID CHAMBERS AND A SEPARATE INLET PORT FOR EACH OF SAID CHAMBERS; A VALVING PLATE INCLUDING A PAIR OF PORTS EACH HAVING AN INDIVIDUAL, INDEPENDENTLY MOUNTED TILTABLE VALVING MEMBER ASSOCIATED THEREWITH; MEANS RELEASABLY INTERCONNECTING SAID HOUSINGS FOR FIXEDLY SECURING SAID VALVING PLATE BETWEEN THE CHAMBER OF SAID FIRST HOUSING AND THE CHAMBERS OF THE SECOND HOUSING FOR DISPOSING THE CHAMBER OF THE FIRST HOUSING IN SELECTIVE, VARIABLE FLUID RECEIVING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CHAMBERS OF THE SECOND HOUSING VIA SAID VALVING PLATE PORTS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE VALVING MEANS MEMBERS, AND MEANS ON SAID FIRST HOUSING OPERABLE FOR CONTROLLING AND SELECTIVELY ACTUATING EACH OF SAID VALVING MEMBERS. 